To Love a Goddess
by Kanna37
Summary: Now that Link has returned triumphant from his quest and battle with Demise with Zelda on his arm, he's finding that he's no longer sure where the lines between them are drawn. She's a goddess, after all, and he's most certainly not divine, in any way. Just a lighthearted ZeLink confession fic.


**To Love a Goddess**

~oOo~

Bright sunlight held sway over endless skies, striking sharp shocks of gold from the hair of a young man sitting alone at the edge of an island floating serenely - and impossibly - at the highest limits of the atmosphere.

Well, impossibly for a human, anyway. It was a good thing the island had been put there by a goddess, instead.

The young man in question leaned back against a few rocks as he tried to sort out the mess his mind had become lately. So much had happened in such a short time, so much that Link wasn't sure he'd _ever_ manage to get it all sorted out before he was old and decrepit.

"Hey, Fi," he started to ask, and then paused sadly as he remembered that she was no longer with him. She was now and forever inhabiting the Master Sword – a sentient weapon - _his_ weapon...or at least, his until the demon king had been defeated permanently. However far across the sea of time _that_ would end up being.

But even though the sword was his, it was his only for a specific _purpose_, and when that purpose had been fulfilled in each life, she was to be laid to rest until the next time her power was called for.

Their goodbye had been very difficult for Link, after all he had been through with no one but her beside him, and even though she was supposedly incapable of something as human as _feelings, _she had proved to understand them well enough that one could argue that she _did _have the capacity to feel, after all.

He hoped he remembered her the next time he was born, but he had the feeling that even if he didn't _remember,_ per say, he would still feel that connection with her – and the affection he had for her, odd as it was to say that he had affection for a _weapon._ But he couldn't help it – she was more than a weapon to him, and she always would be. He _cared – _it was just who he was_._ He'd been told before that he cared too much, though he didn't understand that at all. How could you care too _much_?

In any case, he missed her, and a part of him always would.

However, there were quite a few others that he cared about - in one fashion or another - to keep him quite busy meanwhile. But the majority of his heart had long since been claimed by the other person that had been involved in the harrowing circumstances he'd just come through.

Zelda.

Or Hylia.

Or... both.

Or maybe neither?

Yeah, he was just a bit uncertain where to put his feet on that at the moment, which was why he was even out here by himself to begin with.

How do you take in the fact that your best friend was really a goddess inhabiting a human body? How was he supposed to treat her, now that they knew who she was, or had been, or would always be? As the high of battle, of his entire mission, had begun to fade once he'd brought Zelda back home safely, those questions had started creeping into his consciousness. That fact had him fumbling with two left feet and a tongue that immediately tied itself in knots the moment she appeared on the horizon. He wasn't sure whether to hug her, or drop to his knees in obeisance before her, and swear eternal fealty. Maybe both?

He scowled, and clapped a hand over his eyes in frustration. _Ugh_.

The bottom line was that he loved her. He'd always planned to propose to his best friend someday, ever since he'd gotten old enough to – sort of – understand such things. Who better to marry and stay with your entire life, than the one person that knew you better than anyone else, that always had your back... your closest and most beloved friend?

But now... well, wasn't it sacrilege to even _think_ about her in that way, with such a very human desire, now that the secret was out?

He just didn't know, and because of that, he was terribly unsettled around her now – which he hated. He absolutely_ despised _it, and wished the feeling to perdition so they could go back to being easy with each other, happy and innocent and inseparable.

Like they were before.

But things weren't like they were before – and could they ever be? Those questions – and a few others - had taken over his mind, and the uncertainty was beginning to depress him as he struggled to find his feet again in the aftermath of his quest. What was worse, was that he knew it wouldn't be long before Zelda noticed. After all (Oh, the irony), _he _was _her_ best friend, and she knew him better than anyone - even better than he knew himself, he sometimes thought.

In fact-

"Link! What are you doing hiding out here on the edge of nowhere?" the very girl that was on his mind huffed as she approached, a little out of breath after running around the entire island trying to find her best friend and hero. She breathed a secret sigh of relief. When she'd been unable to find him in their usual places - or anywhere else he was known to frequent, for that matter - she'd begun to fear that something had happened to him.

The young man she had just addressed almost jumped out of his skin as he flew to his feet, which reaction was followed swiftly by a confused rush of words. "Oh, um, hi Zel, err, I mean Zelda – or, you know - umm-" he broke off as his tongue tangled him up yet _again_, and flushed. Then he paused deliberately, struggling to order his mind enough to start sounding like he was speaking halfway understandable _Hylian, _and not just stammering nonsense like a demented lunatic.

Zelda blinked, startled by Link's strained behavior towards her. Then she frowned. "You're acting strangely – in fact, you've been acting a little oddly since we got home, now that I think about it. What's wrong?"

He bit his lip, frowning down at the ground because it was easier than meeting her gaze. "I... I don't know..." he hedged, not entirely sure where the lines between them were drawn anymore. "I don't want to upset you, but I'm kind of... confused, I guess," he reluctantly admitted.

She stared uncomprehendingly at him for a long moment. "Confused?" she queried blankly. "Confused about what?"

Running one impatient hand through his bangs, he blew out a sigh, frustrated with himself and the whole situation. "I don't know where I stand anymore," he forced himself to state slowly and clearly. "It feels like everything's different now. You're, well, you're the goddess. _Hylia._ I'm just human, remember? I feel like I'm disrespecting you or something by treating you in a casual manner."

"Oh..." Zelda breathed, struggling to push aside the sheer surprise that had taken hold of her mind at his words. "But... I've told you that I'm still your Zelda. Did you think I was just saying that?"

"No," Link shook his head, but then hesitated, still looking conflicted.

"Then what's the problem? We've been friends for as long as I can remember. Why would my... _past_-" she phrased a little awkwardly, still fairly uncertain how _she _felt about everything she'd learned about that past, "-change anything?" As far as she was concerned, finding out that she was actually Hylia in human skin _was_ unsettling and made her uneasy with the way it had changed how she saw _herself_, but it hadn't changed the way she felt about her best friend, and why should it? The very thought of that was upsetting to her in every way she could think of.

Yet, could she really be upset because he was now uncertain about some things? If she herself was still uneasy about it all, then why was it surprising that he was, as well? Their destinies had interfered and changed the dynamics of their once-cozy little world too much, too fast... and in some cases, irreversibly.

But the possibility that it had permanently altered _their _relationship in a negative way was more than she could bear. She didn't know how she would live if he wasn't a part of that life. She loved him, and wanted nothing more than to remain by his side forever.

"Link, please... _please_ don't treat me any differently because of, well... everything," she practically begged, brow furrowed. "It's strange, even for me, knowing about all that. But if there's _one thing _I don't want to lose, it's you. I... I don't know what I'd do if all that was allowed to pull us apart."

He shifted uneasily at her words, beginning to reach out to her, but then he aborted the gesture awkwardly and stepped back a little, instead. "It's just that, every time I _do_ try to act like I did before, I feel like I'm going to be hit with some kind of divine lightening and turned into a smoking heap of charred human..." he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck like he always did when nervous or flustered.

At that, the young woman's eyes went luminous and teary. "I told you that I'm still your Zelda, and I meant that with all my heart. I'll _always_ be _your_ Zelda... even if you don't want me to be anymore," she whispered, voice fading out as her throat choked off at the thought. She shook her head, and her eyes closed as the tears that had been threatening welled up and then fell, a silvery trail of heartbreak ghosting gently down pale cheeks. After a few moments, however, she forced herself to continue, though her words were faint and obviously painful for her. "But if you aren't comfortable with me anymore, then... I'll respect that. I owe you – we _all _owe you - so much that I could never repay the debt, and I know it. If it's your wish to sever our bond, then so be it."

Dead silence met her words, and her hope that everything between them could just be okay again began to wane, her tears falling faster in consequence. She almost couldn't even breathe. She waited for the ax to fall, for him to say the words that would make her heartbreak complete.

Link stared at Zelda, swallowing the lump in his throat as she cried, and all because of him. He was hurting her with his doubts, and one thing he knew to the bottom of his soul was that he _never_ wanted to hurt her. _But can I really just... ? _ Several more fractions of a second passed, and then he folded. _If she wishes for everything to stay the same between us, then her wish should be my command, right?_

Yes. Yes, it should, he realized.

Suddenly, he felt like the biggest jerk on Skyloft. He'd let his own doubts, confusions, and worries hurt the most important girl in the world to him... no matter what name she was called by, or who she'd been several thousand years ago. What mattered was who she was _now. _

And in the here and now, she was his best friend – a best friend that was crying because something he was doing was hurting her.

He cursed at himself aloud – something he had never done in front of Zelda until that very moment - and reached out and pulled a now-startled young woman into his arms, holding her as tightly as he could. "You know what? I'm stupid, Zel. I'm _stupid_ for letting all of that get to me," he breathed into her hair. "I'm sorry I hurt you – I didn't mean to. Please don't be upset anymore - you know I can't stand to see you cry. If you want things to remain the same between us, then I'll take that as a command from my goddess, and be honored that you still want to be best friends with an idiot like me."

Zelda couldn't help the watery giggle at that, and clutched at her hero with relief, never wanting to let go of him. But though she wanted nothing more than to stay right where she was forever, there _was_ something that needed to be clarified between them, and it had to be now. Link had even left her the perfect opening. So she pulled away a little, though she didn't leave his arms, and looked at him solemnly.

"Actually," she began slowly, eyes running over his features, "I wouldn't say I want things to be _exactly _the same between us."

A little confused, Link tilted his head. "What do you mean?"

"Remember how, the day everything started, we were flying together after you'd won the Wing Test, and I said I wanted to talk to you about something?"

It took a moment for him to search out the memory, but then he nodded. "Yes...?" he allowed, one brow rising into his always messy bangs.

"We never got the chance to talk after that... and through everything that happened, I feared so much that one of us would die, and I'd never get the chance to tell you-" her eyes fell away from his, too afraid to look at him while she blurted out her feelings, "-to tell you that I... that _I love you,_" she finally managed, her voice faint as she waited for his reaction to her confidence with hope and fear warring inside her. "I-if you don't feel the same, it's okay, I underst-"

Her shaky voice was cut off completely when a soft pair of lips opened gently over hers, and her eyes widened and flew back up, assuring her that she wasn't imagining her Hero's kiss. Then they fluttered shut, and she pulled herself closer to him with a heartfelt little sound of welcome that made Link's heart skip quite a bit more than just a few beats.

He groaned softly in response, and his hands slipped from her shoulders and wandered slowly down her back until he was grasping her waist, instead, which fortuitous fact he used to tug her even closer.

All Zelda wanted to do in that moment was stay right where she was forever, because anything less than that could never be enough.

This was _her _sacred realm, her haven, her sanity and her happiness – her world, her everything. In the end, there were no words that could truly describe the euphoria she experienced as he deepened their kiss with a relieved sort of joy that left her curious – but not curious enough to end the most _amazing_ first kiss that there had ever been.

Finally, however, they were forced to pull apart by a severe lack of oxygen, an inconvenient circumstance that had the young couple inwardly bemoaning the need for air. Link leaned his head against hers, nuzzling her a little with his nose as he panted, unwilling to discontinue the affection entirely - not even for air.

"That's what you wanted to tell me that day?" he finally asked between breaths.

"Mmhm," she agreed, just reveling in the peace and utter contentment she had always found so strongly in his arms.

"But then, why were you nervous about telling me that?" Link asked, pulling away a little more so as to be able to see her eyes, which forced her to pick her head up from his shoulder where it had come to rest. He couldn't help it; a blush rose up his cheeks as their eyes met again. "I mean, I thought you knew that I loved you. Everyone _else_ seems to have known," he added, still a little disgruntled at the teasing (Pipit and Karane, and occasionally Fledge,) and the bullying (Groose and his henchmen) that particular bit of public knowledge had brought his way.

And she hadn't even _noticed_ all his mooning over her?

He couldn't remember a time that he hadn't loved her. It had happened so slowly and easily that he hadn't seen it until it was too late, and he wouldn't have cared even if he had. He _wanted _to love her, and he _always_ wanted to love her. In his mind, being with her 'til the day he died had always been synonymous with the word 'future' – because she was the one constant throughout every day of his life. She was the one and only thing he actually _needed. _Everything else would just go the way it would go_, _and they'd survive it all – the joys, the sorrows, _life _in all its fullness_ – _together.

Zelda, taken by surprise by his answer, frowned as she thought about it. He loved her, and everyone knew but her? Had she really been that blind all this time? She could hardly believe it... until something slid into place inside her like a key into a lock. Suddenly, she realized she _had _known that he would love her; that fact had been central to Hylia's - her - plan to once more defeat the demon king, and had been both her and the rest of their people's salvation.

In his determination to save the woman he loved, he would save everyone.

And that was exactly what had happened.

Her heart eased in a way it hadn't been since this had all started, Zelda slid her hands up and cupped his beloved face tenderly, her expression now solemn, almost reverent as she studied him.

He returned her look curiously, wondering what she was thinking about so deeply.

Her thoughts became readily apparent as she pulled him back down to her, and gifted him with the softest, most tender kiss Link was positive had ever been given to anyone. Her lips moved gently against his, so full of love that tears stung his eyes. He deepened the kiss and took control, almost jittery with energy at feeling her return the loving contact.

Whoever she was – Zelda, Hylia – didn't matter at all, and he should have realized that from the beginning. What _mattered_ was that she loved him, and he loved her.

And that was all they needed.

He was lucky to have anyone love him so much, he thought, as he succumbed to the magic of her kiss and quite happily lost himself in it. He wasn't sure why she would, but he wasn't foolish enough to question it aloud. He was now, and would always be, quite happy to bask in the warmth of her affections for the rest of eternity.

No fate could ever be better, in his considered opinion.

_~fin~_


End file.
